Meet the Students

The Ballard Center hosts classes, internships, competitions, research, and award programs for over 2,500 students each year from over 100 different majors. Another 5,800 students each year become involved in TEDxBYU, the Peery Film Festival, other events, and clubs. Take a minute to meet a few of our students:

While walking through the crowded streets of Guatemala, I met an elderly man wearing tattered clothing and covered in filth. It was apparent by the way he stumbled and stuttered that he had been drinking alcohol. He seemed eager to speak to someone—anyone—so when I introduced myself as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he had a lot to say.

Why I Chose to Work Against Human Trafficking

Juan Camargo, Economics

For me, growing up in a war-torn Colombia meant turning the TV on every night at 7 p.m. to find out how many children were abducted and forcibly enlisted by military groups, or how many people had been killed in rural communities simply for being born in regions where external forces determined their fate.

Why I Chose to Work Against Human Trafficking

For me, growing up in a war-torn Colombia meant turning the TV on every night at 7 p.m. to find out how many children were abducted and forcibly enlisted by military groups, or how many people had been killed in rural communities simply for being born in regions where external forces determined their fate. After years of listening to this devastating news play over and over again, the sheer number of victims of these atrocities was impressed on my mind; particularly children kidnapped from their families forced to fight an unnecessary war. The displacement of millions, the death of thousands, and the abduction of hundreds kept growing and there was little I could do from the comfort of my urban lifestyle.

While applying to BYU, I stumbled upon the Ballard Center website. In it they claimed to have programs to help students “Do Good. Better.” The idea of a place where I could make an impact in society while earning my education sounded too good to be true, but I was determined to test it. Since I felt inadequate and incapable of solving such important social problems, it took two semesters after being admitted to BYU to finally step into the center. The student advisor who talked with me mentioned Social Innovation Projects (SIP), an on-campus internship, as a way to get involved. This looked like the perfect opportunity to give back in a meaningful way.

Because of the atrocity of child abduction that was impressed on my mind growing up, I asked to intern with Truckers against Trafficking (TAT), a U.S. based nonprofit that has trained 700,282 truck drivers to recognize and report instances of human trafficking. To date, they have identified 1,183 victims in the U.S. My team was tasked with helping TAT extend its model to Mexico. My determination to stop trafficking led to months of research and interviews with individuals in the field. As a team, we developed a detailed report of the Mexican trucking industry with specific in-country recommendations . On 5 December 2017 our team was excited to see news coverage of TAT and a Mexican non-profit signing an agreement to start the program in Mexico City.

For years I had felt powerless in combating social problems as big as the ones I saw daily in the news growing up. But being involved with SIP and the Ballard Center has helped me find training and resources to make an impact. It was remarkable to make a difference in Mexico without stepping foot off campus. I no longer have to sit and watch as people throughout the world suffer. I am empowered to make a difference, and, moreover, have gained the skills to Do Good. Better.

Afternoon Dance Parties that Changed My Life

Alyssa Clark, Masters of Public Administration

Driving up to a weathered brown apartment building in South Salt Lake, Khinhla, Win Tae, and their brothers rolled down the windows excitedly as I turned up the music. Shattering the silence, we got out and started dancing to the radio. As if anticipating our arrival, the front doors of the apartments facing us swung open and Burmese refugee mothers smiled as their children darted past to join us.

Afternoon Dance Parties that Changed My Life

Driving up to a weathered brown apartment building in South Salt Lake, Khinhla, Win Tae, and their brothers rolled down the windows excitedly as I turned up the music. Shattering the silence, we got out and started dancing to the radio. As if anticipating our arrival, the front doors of the apartments facing us swung open and Burmese refugee mothers smiled as their children darted past to join us.

Many of my experiences volunteering with refugees in high school were full of laughter and dancing, but some reflected the deeper trauma and challenges young refugees face as they integrate into their new homes. For example, one day a girl from Nepal arrived to our program crying and confided in me that other students at her school told her that her hair was ugly and that she smelled bad. The multi-faceted challenges my refugee friends faced opened my eyes to the inequality in society.

As a college student, I discovered a new way to describe the systems of inequality around me. This language was called sociology. Sociology taught me how to understand social issues and I immersed myself in studying immigration and the refugee crisis. After a while, I became overwhelmed with two things. The first was the burden of seeing so many problems, but not knowing how to solve them. The second was everyone, including me, wondering what in the world I would do with my life after studying sociology.

At the height of my distress, I was introduced to the Ballard Center.

The Ballard Center became my playground for learning how to solve social problems. I participated in a Social Innovation Project (SIP) -- an on-campus internship -- with SINGA, a French nonprofit that promotes refugee integration by focusing on the co-creation of culture between refugees and host countries. Since their inception in 2012, they have reached over 25,000 members in seven cities in France and have expanded to seven countries.

My internship team examined how media impacts people's perception of refugees and their resulting policy opinions, then created a toolkit for SINGA to communicate best practices for reporting on refugees to newsrooms and journalists in Europe. For example, the positive media attention surrounding the heartbreaking photo of Aylan Kurdi in 2015 led to the use of Aylan’s name over 50,000 times on Twitter with a storm of “Refugees Welcome” and “People Not Migrants” tags. Within one day, 150,000 people signed a U.K. petition to accept more asylum seekers and support refugees.

This internship applied what I felt working with Khinhla and her friends, what I learned in sociology, and what I was learning about solving social problems at the Ballard Center.

Between the days of my high school volunteering and my introduction to the Ballard Center, I lost touch with Khinhla and her friends. But years after our dance parties, Khinhla and I reconnected. I added her as a friend on Facebook, sent her a message, and she responded with, “Omg! Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere!!! I miss you so much. Finally I found you.” She’s since taught me how to make *very spicy* Thai Pho, invited me to her wedding, and introduced me to her baby.

My Ballard Center experience translated my love for refugees and my passion for sociology to application that gives me confidence as a changemaker. Through the Ballard Center I have discovered and deepened skills from critical thinking to human-centered design, from writing and editing to impact evaluation. Moving forward, I am committed to facilitating partnerships that address issues like refugee resettlement, immigration, and human rights.

Driving People out of Poverty

Jason Koncurat, Pre-Management

During lunch in middle school and high school there was always the gathering of like-minded groups: those that loved to talk about video games, those that were theater fanatics, and those that were athletes. For one who didn’t fit any of those social constructs, I floated for years hoping one day to be surrounded by people that I can relate with.

Driving People out of Poverty

During lunch in middle school and high school there was always the gathering of like-minded groups: those that loved to talk about video games, those that were theater fanatics, and those that were athletes. For one who didn’t fit any of those social constructs, I floated for years hoping one day to be surrounded by people that I can relate with. It was a difficult time for me, but I learned and grew a lot. I started to notice that I had a desire to make the world a better place. Classes in high school and callings in church made me think that government leadership would be the right position for me.

After a year of studying political science at BYU, I was called as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and assigned to serve in Madagascar. I discovered how satisfying it was to teach people how to apply the gospel to overcome past mistakes and to gain a deeper understanding of life’s purpose. I saw my full-time mission as the most fulfilling and impactful thing that I had ever done. When I came back from Madagascar, I was in crisis mode. Suddenly, I could not see how I could come anywhere close to the impact and satisfaction of serving people like I did in Madagascar. I found that cold calling to ask if I could help someone felt too slow compared to face-to-face conversations as a missionary. I also learned that it was difficult to be excited about politics when debates seemed trivial compared to matters of eternal importance. A sense of apathy following a meaningful time in my life left me searching for something to revive my sense of purpose.

When I discovered the Ballard Center in Fall 2017, I finally found like-minded people who desire to change the world. Following an advisement session, I enrolled in Do Good. Better., a class that taught me the priceless problem-solving methods that fit within human centered design and the social innovation model. I also learned about various roles that I could fill to impact the world. Not long later, I found myself at ease settling into the role of a social entrepreneur when other returned Madagascar missionaries who served years before me saw that who I am and what I know from Do Good. Better. are strong assets to tackle poverty through business.

My partners and I founded a social venture called Speedy Tuk Tuk that can help diligent Malagasy people break free from a system of rental poverty. A tuk tuk, with a motorcycle engine, is a three-wheeled taxi that is emerging as a reliable method of short transportation in Madagascar and countries throughout Africa. Unfortunately, many tuk tuk drivers throughout the world are stuck living in poverty because they must pay rental fees to wealthier tuk tuk renters. Speedy Tuk Tuk, so far, has given 59 drivers the best opportunity to own their tuk tuks by giving them a rent-to-own agreement and additional support services. Due to the advice and funding given by the Social Venture Academy, a Ballard Center program that provides resources for aspiring social entrepreneurs, I was able to implement Speedy Tuk Tuk in Madagascar which will potentially quadruple the livelihoods of hardworking tuk tuk drivers. Learning about the social innovation model and roles in Do Good. Better. and receiving mentoring and funding from the Social Venture Academy revived my purpose as a changemaker. I love Speedy Tuk Tuk and that we will be helping 99 drivers by the end of May to drive their way out of poverty.

The Special Sauce of Social Impact

Laurie Batschi, International Relations

When I walked into an info session for a Ballard Center Social Innovation Case Competition, I had only planned on enjoying a free J Dawg- replete with banana peppers and drizzled with its iconic special sauce - then trekking back to the library to finish my homework. However, as I loitered long enough to not look too much the hot dog opportunist, I got hooked...

The Special Sauce of Social Impact

When I walked into an info session for a Ballard Center Social Innovation Case Competition, I had only planned on enjoying a free J Dawg- replete with banana peppers and drizzled with its iconic special sauce - then trekking back to the library to finish my homework. However, as I loitered long enough to not look too much the hot dog opportunist, I got hooked by an opportunity to become involved in an international development project right here on BYU campus.

A refugee social integration program called Singa was rapidly scaling and looking for ways to maintain a global identity while ensuring local autonomy. Partnering with the Ballard Center, Singa hoped to hear some fresh and innovative ideas from BYU students to address these growing pains. Undeterred by our lack of experience and fueled by a desire to alleviate some part of the refugee crisis, some new friends and I formed a team to participate in the case competition.

Over the next three weeks, my team tested how late one can stay in the basement of the Kennedy Center without getting kicked out. Although I was no stranger to burning the midnight oil, these late nights were not driven by any academic goal, but from a drive to both grasp the mission of this commendable institution and also address its shortcomings. This undertaking required a major shift in my brainstorming and thought process. Sometimes my team thought we had a good grasp on a concept, such as Singa’s emphasis on not treating refugees as victims; however, we realized that one of our ideas actually worked against that core principle. So we adjusted and moved on. This willingness to entirely scrap something and start anew led us to a better understanding of the social movement that Singa aspired to be and propelled us to place as semifinalists.

Participating in this program provided my first real-world experience with a charitable effort that was grappling with real problems. Prior to this, I had bought into the idea that any well intentioned effort to help the world - whether digging wells or giving away free shoes - should simply be praised and not critically analyzed. However, this first experience with the Ballard Center taught me to look for and embrace an organization’s challenges, with full faith that humility and innovative ideas can enable these good intentions to yield good outcomes. My grades may have suffered that month, but my passion for improving social impact grew from a spark to a blaze.

Looking forward to a career as a foreign service officer for the State Department, I see myself applying the skills I gained from this case competition. Improving diplomatic relations between countries requires a willingness and ability to evaluate the efficacy of pre-existing programs, from cultural exchanges to development aid packages. During my State Department internship last semester, I participated in a panel to fund public diplomacy projects and witnessed the group struggle to find a way to evaluate each proposal beyond its altruistic intentions. In my future work in groups such as that one, I will apply the principles of social impact evaluation that I learned from the Ballard Center in order to bring a fresh perspective and to foster innovative ideas.

So what are the ingredients in this “special sauce” of social impact? The ability to criticize the product of ours and others’ good intentions. The willingness to explore seemingly crazy ideas. The perseverance to work and rework and validate our ideas. And a few teaspoons of midnight oil. Because we all need to figure out how to do good. Better.

From Corporate America To Rural Mozambique

Jeremy Skelton, Business Management

I’ve always known I wanted to go into healthcare. While the other neighborhood kids were playing army or house, I was playing with the doctor kit that my parents bought me for my birthday. The summer after my freshman year, while my friends started their summer internships I packed up my bags and moved to Sumpango, Guatemala to work as a medical volunteer in a rural clinic.

From Corporate America To Rural Mozambique

I’ve always known I wanted to go into healthcare. While the other neighborhood kids were playing army or house, I was playing with the doctor kit that my parents bought me for my birthday. The summer after my freshman year, while my friends started their summer internships I packed up my bags and moved to Sumpango, Guatemala to work as a medical volunteer in a rural clinic.

During one rainy, slow afternoon I was putting together posters for an upcoming class on food and hygiene. Almost like a scene out of a movie, a woman burst through the front entrance of the empty clinic and broke the silence. My Spanish did not need to be great to see that something was very wrong with the baby that she was holding in her arms.

Doctors and nurses rushed the young baby into one of the two patient rooms in the clinic and frantically began to try to identify and fix what was wrong. After what seemed like hours the news finally came back that the child had not survived. A mother and father had lost their son from a completely treatable infection that had not been identified soon enough. The ride home on the bus that day was more somber than usual as I reflected on the events that had transpired. On that bumpy bus in Guatemala, I knew that I had to do something.

When I got to school the next semester, I discovered a passion for business that threatened to thwart my plans of doing good through medicine. I began a major in business management, took an internship working in administration for a large hospital system, and had almost sold my soul to “corporate America” when a friend told me about a competition hosted by the Ballard Center.

A few friends and I registered to be a part of the Social Venture Maternal Health Challenge. The challenge was to solve a maternal health issue in a developing community using a technology-based solution. My team members and I threw ourselves into the project and built an application that tracks prenatal health factors for women living in rural Mozambique. Our team met certain competition criteria and benchmarks and was funded to go in-country to implement the solution that we had developed. We have continued to collect data in the communities that we visited through our application and have registered and tracked visits with over 50 expecting mothers this year alone.

My time in Mozambique was life-changing. Being able to witness firsthand the blending of my two passions, business and healthcare, has filled me with a greater sense of direction and purpose. Since returning from Mozambique, our team has continued to grow and evolve. Our organization, HealthLink Cooperative, is now a registered non-profit dedicated to providing access to quality healthcare for individuals living in underserved communities throughout the world. In addition to filing for non-profit status, we have continued to compete in, and win various competitions including taking first place in the IT category at the University of Utah Bench to Bedside Competition this spring. We now have partners with organizations in multiple sub-Saharan Africa countries including Mozambique, Uganda, Tanzania, and Madagascar. I have had the privilege to serve as president of HealthLink Cooperative for just over a year now and have grown immensely because of this opportunity. The Ballard Center has given me a chance to take my passions in business and medicine and blend them into something that is making a real difference in the lives of the individuals we work with.

I was left on a doorstep outside an orphanage in Hefei, China. My village was infested with pollution, disease, and overpopulation, so my birth mother left me hoping that someone could provide what she could not. Along with dozens of other orphan girls, my fate rested in the hands of someone who could rescue me from a future plagued with poverty.

I saw first responder vehicles blocking off a whole street near my home. As I got to school, the hustle and bustle of class, homework, and friends consumed my attention and I forgot all about the accident—that is, until second period when the school police officer and counselor escorted me from class to the office. I wracked my brain as to what I had done to deserve the attention of the police.

Even lifting the spatula to fry a chicken patty started to feel heavy. After returning from my mission, I struggled to find meaning in my Chik-Fil-A job. Five hours after handing in my apron and black hat, I found an opportunity that would change my life and thousands of others.

My dad, an African immigrant, won a significant City Council race in a small town in Washington State while I was in high school. Nine years after his win, I started working at the Ballard Center, and I decided to follow in my dad’s footsteps. This is the story of why I decided to run for office as a full-time student at 23.

I felt like a failure. I questioned whether doing good was even possible. Could complex problems like poverty, lack of access to clean water, or human trafficking ever be solved? Years passed, and slowly I began to lose hope. Maybe it wasn’t possible.